Life is short…and most people don’t have a plan for the end of it.

And yet none of us know when that end might come. That’s some hard truth.

So what matters most to you?

How do you want to be cared for?

What are you willing to take responsibility for, and

what are you leaving behind for others to take care of?

What if how you lived the last part of your life – and how you planned for it – was part of the legacy you leave behind?

Advance care planning is not just advance directives, Living Wills, and DNR decisions.

It’s about planning ahead for the last part of your life – planning for your care—where you hope to be, who will be caring for you, how you want to be living your life, what your choices require financially, and more.

It’s a gift you give yourself and your people – taking time to think about and talk about your values and priorities for living the last part of your life.

As with any plan, things don’t always go the way you hope they will. Life happens, as they say.

But you and your close-in people will have a significant advantage if you are clear about your guiding principles – the basic map you want to follow for the last part of your life.

For many of us, it’s easy to put that kind of thinking and conversation on the back burner.

“I’ve got time…I’ll deal with this when I really need to…”

“Where do I even start with all these big questions?”

We get that.

As longtime hospice nurses, end-of-life doulas, and educators, we’ve seen close-up how hard these conversations and reflections can be. We’ve witnessed many families navigate the complex decisions that come with serious illness. It’s not easy to die a natural death, as many people hope to do. And it’s not easy to create a caregiving community at the last minute.

That’s why we’re offering this transformative learning to you.

We find that most people don’t have examples in their lives of people who live out their last years in a more conscious way, based on their priorities and values.

For many, the last part of life is full of emergencies and uncertainties and confusion.

So it’s hard to imagine what could be different…what might be possible instead.

We created a short course to jump-start your thinking and your conversations about the end of life.

We invite you to explore rich content and practical information with us. You will contemplate a variety of reflection questions – topics like:

·       how you want to be cared for,

·       how forgiveness and gratitude might change your relationships,

·       how your beliefs and values have guided your life,

·       the nature of your fears and concerns about aging, illness, and death, and

·       what you want to leave behind that matters.

You will also learn about many new innovations and projects that are changing the face of end-of-life care.

And, like many others who have taken this kind of course, you will likely live with more gratitude and attention as a result of opening these lively conversations.

Talking about our mortality changes how we live.

Or, as Ondrea Levine writes:

“(T)he beauty of the practice is that we can evaluate our lives even before we are on our deathbed. If we are not living the life we wish to live, how can we change that now,

while there is still time?”

The course format is (5) weeks in length, with self-study and 2-hour online group meetings each week.

By the end of the course, you will leave with:

·       A clear & detailed plan for moving forward with your end-of-life wishes

·       A deeper understanding of what matters most to you in 5 dimensions of life

·       A commitment to specific action steps that you have created for moving forward

·       Resources that will support your ongoing exploration of end-of-life priorities

·       Videos and audio recording examples of new ways to imagine the end of life

·       An experience of group support & validation for the important questions of your life

·       The offer of (1) discounted individual coaching session to keep you on track with your plan

Imagine how good you’ll feel to have completed something this important.

And to have done this work with caring, experienced nurses you can trust to support you.

It’s time!

Jan Booth and Trish Rux are holistic hospice nurses and end-of-life doulas with years of inpatient hospice experience. Both are faculty for Conscious Dying Collective, and life-long learners in the field of death and dying.

Testimonials:

"This is a course that everyone should take, whether they know it not, whether they think they are ready or not, whether they are 25 or 85, whether they have even thought much about preparing for death.

It takes what can be a very difficult and emotional issue and makes it completely approachable, and offering practical and manageable ways to begin to think about and prepare for one’s death.

Guided by two extremely gifted teachers, the course leads one to reflect on the core questions of what is most important in our lives, what we believe, and how we want to live, and to prepare one, spiritually and practically, for how we want to die."

(Polly Byers)

How often have you heard, "if I die"? Spoiler alert, the reality is "when I die."

Jan and Trish invite one to explore the rich possibilities of preparing yourself and your loved ones for the adventure of many aspects of death and dying that most of us might never have been aware of. This course allows one to replace fear with sacred mystery. Being a past hospice nurse, cancer survivor, nurse, and nurse coach, I have had my advance directives, will and health proxy in place for several years. Throughout this course, I learned so much more about myself, aspects of the preparing for death/dying/aftercare that I would like to have happen…

Not only did I learn more about my desires and wishes, I felt blessed bearing witness to others in my group as they shared their personal legacies and ideas…

I highly recommend this course to anyone who is ready to make greater peace with every beautiful aspect of their life and their death.

Pam Melson, RN, MSN, NC-BC

This course creates a safe environment to confront our morality and fears of how to deal with death in a very plan-full and structured approach. It helps to dramatically reduce the fear that is so natural regarding this subject. I felt relief afterwards rather than anxiety at the end. The instructors, Jan &Trish were very competent and supportive and provided timely questions and good advice throughout. There was a good balance of media—written content, instructions, video and animation that was very impactful and helped set the stage for constructive small group discussions. No-one was pressured to talk or share if they chose not to. Highly recommend this course to prepare for one’s transition into the next life’s stage whatever one imagines.

G.B.

The class provides a gentle brake to the roller-coaster ride of avoidance and panic that end-of-life planning can inspire. By the end of the weekend I was moving forward with confidence towards a final plan, on the path at last to putting all the different pieces into place.

L.K.

The course offered resources I use long after class is over and taught me about the pragmatic side of death along with the more esoteric thoughts, beliefs and feelings. I might be a long way from death’s door (maybe not!) but now I know what I need to do to prepare for myself and my loved ones.

Kate

I registered for this class to shorten my long-range To Do List by increasing my motivation to update my legal forms and do more preparatory work for my death. The class provided gentle but strong and effective motivation plus much more.The material Jan and Trish offered and the way they shared it have reduced my fear of death and made it easier for me to think and talk about it. The information they provided and the resources they suggested have made me more aware of possibilities for making suggestions for my care for during my final weeks and days, dealing with dementia, writing my obituary, planning my memorial service, choosing how I want my body to be disposed of, organizing financial and legal information that my heirs will need, leaving a legacy, and other matters. The class has increased my confidence and courage in facing and dealing with these topics. I am in the process of changing my Power of Attorney for Health Care. I now realize how important it is for me to make decisions about things like the disposal of my body and my memorial service and communicate them to our children now so they are not left to sort them out at the time of my death. This class reminded me of the importance of living well until I die and the ways in which preparing for my death and talking about it with loved ones now can contribute to this. I am very grateful to Jan and Trish for this powerful, life-affirming class.

Susan

Refund Policy: There are no refunds. If you must cancel, you may take a future class with us within one year or gift your tuition as a scholarship. If we must cancel for any reason, you will be given the option of a future class or a full refund.

Photo Credit: Garrett Sears, Unsplash.com